Wendy Allnutt Movies

Set in a lavish country estate over the course of a single night, director Max Stafford-Clark's adaptation of Oliver Goldsmith's satirical 18th Century play stars Monica Dolan, Nigel Cooke, and Christopher Staines. In order to romance a wealthy aristocrat who grows timid around upper-class women, highborn noblewoman Kate attempts to put her suitor at ease by posing as a common barmaid. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Patrick Magee plays the aging and confused monarch in this made-for-television adaptation of one of Shakespeare's most resonant tragedies. When aging King Lear (Patrick Magee) asks his children to profess their love for him so he may divide his estate accordingly, his youngest daughter, Cordelia (Wendy Allnutt), gives an answer that speaks of modesty and practicality, while Regan (Ann Lynn) and Goneril (Beth Harris) offer more flowery tributes. Lear mistakes Cordelia's good sense for contempt and forces her to leave his land, while Regan and Goneril are allowed to divide his holdings; however, it isn't until much later than Lear sees the error of his ways, and comes to understand his older daughters are using his growing senility for their own purposes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Anthony Hopkins stars in this convoluted adventure yarn, scripted by Alistair MacLean. Hopkins is Philip Calvert, a water-logged James Bond. Calvert plays a naval secret-service agent who is assigned to find out why millions of pounds of gold bullion are being stolen under the noses of the British government. Calvert begins his investigations in the bleak Scottish Highlands. Posing as marine biologists, Calvert and his partner Hunslett (Corin Redgrave) find something fishy and hostile among the Scottish inhabitants. They also suspect that the rich and smooth Greek tycoon Sir Arthur Skouras (Jack Hawkins), who lays anchor off the coast in his luxury yacht, may be the culprit behind the pirating of the gold bullion. Calvert and Hunslett look to be wrapping up the case, but then Charlotte (Nathalie Delon) appears. Supposedly Sir Arthur's wife, she ends up dropping her guard and agrees to help Calvert in the retrieval of the gold. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Oh! What a Lovely War is an every-man-for-himself adaptation of Charles Chilton's 1963 play, as staged in London by Joan Littlewood. The tragedy of World War I is redefined in bawdy music-hall terms, beginning with a verbal free-for-all involving the Crowned Heads of Europe. The war is presented as the "new attraction" at the Brighton Amusement Pier, complete with syrupy cheer-up songs, shooting galleries, free prizes and a scoreboard toting up the dead. Throughout the proceedings, the camera concentrates on a middle-class family, whose five sons end up as cannon fodder. The final image is a veddy proper British picnic on a graveyard. Of the many fleeting satiric images parading past the camera, one of the most indelible is the sight of several generals playing leapfrog as the world all around them goes to hell in a handbasket. The awesome all-star cast includes Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Jack Hawkins, John Mills, Susannah York, Dirk Bogarde and Phyllis Calvert. We haven't seen this many Englishmen in one place since the last Wimbledon match. The whole affair was supervised by Richard Attenborough, making his directorial debut (a question: why was he up to the challenge of this musical extravaganza, yet seemed helpless in the face of 1985's A Chorus Line?). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide